christened on 30 April 1685, when the Bishop of Ely and Sir Thomas Doleman stood godfathers (Luttrell, i. 340). His father was seeking to make provision for his education early in 1697, but the boy survived L'Estrange only a few months, dying in March 1705 (Hist. MSS. Comm. 11th Rep. pt. vii. p. 114).
L'Estrange's portrait was painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller in 1684, when he was sixty-eight years old. An engraving by R. White is prefixed to his ‘Æsop's Fables’ in 1692. Another portrait by Sir Peter Lely was exhibited at South Kensington in 1868 (No. 714 in Cat.). A third picture is at Hunstanton. A mezzotint engraving by P. Tempest is dated 1684.
L'Estrange continued through life a good musician. North describes him as ‘an expert violist’ (Memories of Musick, p. 123). Under the Commonwealth he not only played at Hingston's house before Cromwell, but entertained at his own residence Thomas Baltzar [q. v.], the distinguished violinist (Evelyn, Diary, 4 March 1655–6, ii. 82). L'Estrange was also one of the virtuosos who patronised Nicolas Matteis, called by Pepys ‘that stupendous violin.’ In 1673 Matthew Locke [q. v.] dedicated to him his ‘Melothesia,’ and spoke of him as a warm encourager of ‘musical professors.’ In 1678 John Banister dedicated to him ‘New Airs and Dialogues.’ Ned Ward, in his account of the musical club conducted by Britton, the ‘small coalman’ in Clerkenwell, says this club was first begun, or at least continued, by Sir Roger L'Estrange, ‘a very musical gentleman, and who had a tolerable perfection on the base-viol’ (Satiric Reflections on Clubs, 1709).
L'Estrange's chief literary work, apart from his political pamphlets and periodicals, was ‘The Fables of Æsop and other eminent Mythologists, with Moral Reflections,’ London, 1692, fol., with portrait. This is the most extensive collection of fables in existence. Each fable is followed by a ‘moral’ and a ‘reflexion;’ other editions are dated 1694, 1699, 1704, 1712, 1724. A French version appeared in 1714, and a Russian one in 1760. A verse rendering by E. Stacey is dated 1717 (cf. Æsop, ed. Jacobs, ii. 191–2). Another large undertaking was ‘The Works of Flavius Josephus compared with the original Greek,’ with two discourses by Dr. Milles (a folio volume of 1130 pages), London, 1702; other editions 1717, 1732, and 1733. The translator received 300l. for the work, with twenty-five copies of the book in ordinary paper, and twenty-five in royal. The subscription price for the ordinary copies was 25s., and for the royal paper copies 45s. A sixth part of the profit on the sale of the whole impression was also assigned to L'Estrange (Hist. MSS. Comm. 11th Rep. pt. vii. p. 113). A new edition in three volumes in Elzevir type was burnt in John Bowyer's printing office on 30 Jan. 1812 (Nichols, Lit. Anecdotes, i. 56).
L'Estrange was also author of: 1. ‘The Visions of Don Francisco de Quevedo Villegas, Knight of the order of St. James,’ licensed 26 March 1667, and published in that year. Pepys bought a copy on 29 Dec. 1667, and described it as ‘a merry satire … wherein there are many pretty things’ (Diary, ii. 145). A third edition is dated 1668. It reappeared in Hudibrastic verse, ‘burlesqu'd by a person of quality,’ in 1702. Ticknor, in his ‘History of Spanish Literature,’ ii. 271, says that it is the best translation extant of ‘Quevedo,’ or ‘at least the most spirited,’ but L'Estrange was not always faithful when he knew the meaning, and he is sometimes unfaithful from ignorance. ‘He altered some of the jests of his original to suit the scandal and tastes of his times by allusions entirely English and local.’ 2. ‘Five Love Letters from a [Portuguese] Nun to a [French] Cavalier, from the French,’ licensed 28 Dec. 1677, London, 1678, 12mo, and 1693; another edition, called the second, in both French and English, appeared in 1702. A second part, ‘Five Love Letters written by a Cavalier in Answer,’ London, 1694 (2nd edit. 1701), is also assigned to L'Estrange. 3. A disagreeable work, ‘Love Letters between a Nobleman and his Sister, viz. F——d Lord Gr—y of Werk and the Lady Henrietta Berk—ley, under the borrowed names of Philander and Silvia, by the author of the “Letters from a Nun to a Cavalier”’ (2nd edit. 1734), is also ascribed to L'Estrange. The work refers to the elopement of Forde, lord Grey [q. v.], with his sister-in-law, Lady Henrietta Berkeley, in 1682. 4. ‘The Gentleman Pothecary; a true Story done out of the French,’ London, 1678, a volume of curious indecency; a second edition, by Curll, is dated 1726. 5. ‘Tully's Offices in three books,’ London, 1680; 6th edit., revised by John Leng [q. v.], bishop of Norwich. 6. ‘Twenty select Colloquies of Erasmus Roterodamus, pleasantly representing several superstitious levities that were crept into the Church of Rome in his days,’ London, 1680; 2nd edit., with two colloquies added, 1689. 7. ‘A Guide to Eternity, extracted out of the Writings of the Holy Fathers and Ancient Philosophers,’ by John Bona, 2nd edit. 1680. 8. ‘The Spanish Decameron, or ten novels made English,’ London, 1687 (licensed 17 Feb. 1686–7). 9. ‘Seneca's Morals by way of abstract,’ 5th edit. 1693.
